Dusk Till Dawn

10

Freya

The morning light filtered softly through the curtains, casting a golden hue over the room. The quiet was almost suffocating, the air thick with unspoken words, and my chest felt tight, as if the weight of the day had settled there. I sat at the vanity, staring at my reflection, trying to convince myself that I could get through this. That I could make it.

A soft knock at the door broke the silence.

"Come in," I called, my voice quieter than I intended.

Zio Marcus stepped into the room, his broad figure imposing yet familiar, offering a small sense of comfort amidst the chaos in my mind. He walked towards me slowly, his eyes softened in a way I wasn't used to seeing. There was something different about him today—a solemnity, a seriousness I couldn't quite place.

"Freya," he began, standing behind me as I met his gaze in the mirror. His hand rested on my shoulder, grounding me, before he gently pulled something from his coat pocket.

A delicate gold chain with a pendant—a necklace I'd seen before. Zia Helen's.

My heart skipped a beat. "Is that...?"

He nodded, placing the necklace gently around my neck. The cool metal rested against my skin as I looked down at it, my fingers brushing the pendant. "Zia wanted you to have this," he said softly. "It's... it's more than just a family heirloom."

I blinked, struggling to process the emotions swirling in me. "Why are you giving this to me now?"

Zio Marcus' eyes darkened, his expression hardening just slightly. "Because today changes everything, Freya."

I looked up at him, confusion knitting my brow. "What do you mean?"

He sighed heavily, walking to the window, his back to me as he stared outside. "I didn't want this deal for you, Freya. I wanted... I wanted something better for Marco. Something real. A future with you."

His words hit me like a punch to the chest, and I swallowed hard, trying to keep my composure. "But the deal—"

"The deal will remain," he interrupted, turning back to me with a hardened resolve. "For now. Until Domenico is gone. Once that happens... we will grant you the freedom you deserve."

Freedom. The word hung in the air like a lifeline, yet it felt distant. Unreal.

I lowered my gaze, unsure of how to respond. The weight of this promise—this responsibility—pressed down on me.

Marcus walked toward me again, crouching down to meet my eyes. "But you need to understand something, Freya. This marriage... it's not just about the deal. It's not just a formality."

My heart pounded in my chest, uncertainty twisting inside me. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I trust you for Marco. Only you." His voice was firm, but there was a gentleness there too, a strange vulnerability I hadn't seen before. "He needs you more than you know. I've watched him for years, and I know him better than anyone. This life... it has made him hard, cold. But you—Freya, you're different. You're the only one who can give him what he needs. The only one I trust with him."

I blinked back the sting of tears. "But—"

"There are no 'buts'," he said, cutting me off. His hand reached out, gripping mine with a strength that steadied me. "You will be his wife, not because of this deal, but because I believe in you. And that's why—" He paused, his eyes softening again. "That's why I want you to stop calling me 'zio'."